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Russia suspends cooperation with TURKSOY

28 November 2015 08:25 (UTC +04:00)

Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky sent a governmental telegram to the heads of the republics of Altai, Bashkortostan, Sakha (Yakutia), Tatarstan, Tyva and Khakassia, ordering to immediately cease contacts with TURKSOY.

The special representative of the Russian president for international cultural cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoi said all ties with TURKSOY should be frozen as the Turkish government did not apologize to the Russian government in connection with the Su-24 incident.

Russia is not a member of TURKSOY, but its six regions have an observer status in the organization.

TURKSOY was created in Almaty in 1993 jointly by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey. The main goal of the organization is to preserve the cooperation between the Turkic peoples and transmit to future generation common cultural heritage of Turkic nations.